The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 57 FOOTBALL RECRUITING "As a group we just naturally fit with each other." McNamara, Rivals.com's top player in Nevada and No. 10 pro- style quarterback nationally, also spoke about the entire group even though a few of his future teammates weren't able to make the trip. "Every time I come out to Mich- igan I realize what a great place I chose," he said. "I finally got to meet most of the commits, and it's crazy how easily we all clicked. "The cohesiveness of the staff is in- comparable. As a class we are almost full, so we're just trying to get the last couple pieces of something special." For Velazquez, the time spent with the coaches stood out to him more than anything. He also loved hang- ing out with his future teammates. The 6-0, 205-pounder, who still has a year of high school left, cannot wait to get to Ann Arbor. "I hung out with all the guys and coaches," Velazquez said. "We've got a really great group of guys in our class. I also got to meet some of the younger commits, and they were great guys, too. "We are building something that's going to be really special. I left there feeling honored to be part of it. Any guy out there, I'm telling them come join us because you can't be around better people and coaches. The big- gest thing that stood out to me was the great time that my family and I had. "I spent time with Coach Har- baugh, Coach [Don] Brown, Coach [Greg] Mattison, Coach [Al] Wash- ington, and Coach [Mike] Zordich. We mostly just talked about family." Seldon enjoyed himself, but maybe not as much as some of the people he brought along. The rising junior cornerback was all smiles when de- scribing his BBQ experience. "It was amazing. My parents and my grandma loved it. They loved it even more than me," Seldon said with a laugh. "They can't wait to get back." Almost everyone in Seldon's fam- ily grew up as a Michigan fan so shar- ing that experience with them was truly special for the 5-9, 154-pounder. COMMITS AS RECRUITERS The BBQ wasn't just a bonding ex- perience for committed players. The pledges also used the time to recruit others. Concord (Calif.) De La Salle four- star tight end Isaiah Foskey, Boca Raton (Fla.) American Heritage four- star weakside defensive end and Florida State commit Michael Morris, Everett (Mass.) High three-star ath- lete and Virginia Tech commit Mike Sainristil, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Uni- versity School four-star cornerback Joshua Sanguinetti were some of the more noteworthy targets from the 2019 class who swung by Ann Arbor. Several offered rising juniors were also at the cookout including Carmel (Ind.) High four-star defensive tackle Cole Brevard, Mars (Pa.) High four- star strongside defensive end Mi- chael Carmody, Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnet four-star wide receiver Joshua Downs, Ferndale (Wash.) High four-star offensive guard Geirean Hatchett, Milton (Mass.) Academy four-star outside linebacker Kalel Mullings, Millis (Mass.) High four-star offensive tackle Kevin Pyne, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star cornerback Elias Ricks and Gibral- tar (Mich.) Carlson four-star athlete Ian Stewart. As the quarterback and de facto face of the class, McNamara takes ownership in recruiting others to join him in Ann Arbor. "I believe that Michigan is the best place to play in the country," he said. "My job is to relate and share my recruiting experience with the other guys and show them how special Michigan really is." Seldon specifically named Stew- art, along with Dublin (Ohio) Coff- man cornerback A.J. Kirk Jr., Bay City (Mich.) Central wide receiver Devell Washington and West Bloom- field (Mich.) High three-star inside linebacker Cornell Wheeler as four guys he was working on throughout the day. Whether visiting prospects were already committed to Michigan or are just considering the Wolverines after visiting for the BBQ, it's clear that the event was a success and gave the current pledges a platform to ex- press why they chose U-M. FRESH-FACED YOUNGSTERS CHECK OUT ANN ARBOR The BBQ is also important for creat- ing opportunities for young prospects to see what life could potentially be like at Michigan. Some freshman and sophomores already hold offers from the Wolverines but not many. Seven 2021 prospects were on hand for the event and even a couple of ris- ing freshmen showed up to see what U-M is all about. From the 2021 class, Milton (Mass.) Academy offensive guard Greg Crippen, West Bloomfield (Mich.) High athlete Donovan Edwards, Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial All five of the committed offensive linemen in the 2019 class attended the BBQ — including Trente Jones from Loganville, Ga., who is rated as the No. 17 offensive guard in the country by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM